i9oi. Anderson. — A Note on a Beaked Whale. 119 



pterygoids are external to the palatines. The free nasals seem 

 to point to a relationship different to that of Ziphius, although 

 the other characters, especially the number of the vertebrae, 

 bring this Beaked Whale under consideration into line with 

 the latter genus. The arching of the premaxillae over the 

 nares is slight, The nasals are small, and do not arch, and 

 other characters seem to preclude the Berardius type. The 

 apex of the tooth is directed forwards and slightly upwards. 

 Hyperoodon is excluded by the characters of the skull. 



Mesoplodon Hectori, Gray, has one tooth at the apex of each 

 mandible, and a narrow rostrum. Therefore of the types of 

 Mesoplodon found in northern seas the above type approaches 

 most nearly Berardius and Ziphius, and is most like the 

 specimen here described. The tooth socket seems large for 

 the tooth. The ununited nasals would point to a resemblance 

 to an immature specimen of Ziphius eavirosfrum, Cuv. 



The tooth of Mesoplodon bidens is situated near the hinder 

 end of the mandibular symphysis, and is compressed. The 

 vertebral formula is C. 7, D. 10, L- 10, Cau. 19. 



Mesoplodon australis has a tooth near hinder end of 

 symphysis, and the palatines outside the pterygoids. In 

 M. dentirostris the tooth is on a prominence, and the palatines 

 surround the anterior end of the pterygoids. The only 

 Mesoplodon with apical teeth seems to be M. Hectori. 



The specimen was at first supposed to be a Ziphius. The 

 works of Flower, Lydekker, and Beddard, and a paper by Gray, 

 have been examined, as well as Dr. Scharff's thankworthy 

 memoir, which has tempted me to send this note with the 

 accompanying outline sketches. A portion of the skull of a 

 Killer Whale is figured for comparison with the Duck Whale. 

 The former was forwarded here by the divisional officer of the 

 coastguards for Gal way, with the subjoined letter from Mr. C. 

 Barrett, of the Coastguard, Bally vaughan, Co. Clare : — 



"Whilst on Cruit Island, Donegal Bay, in the year 1885, I discovered a 

 collection of bones. Prompted by curiosity, I made inquiries and found 

 that the bones had been there for a great number of years. An old 

 resident, who was 70 years of age, informed me that the said bones were 

 there when he was a small boy. Among the bones was one very much 

 larger than the others ; it was about twelve feet in length, said to have 

 been the back-bone belonging to some strange animal." 



Queen's College, Galway. 



A 2 



